Northern (Arriva Rail North)

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(07/08/2017 13:59)Sprinterdriver Wrote:  As for what the last franchise did, they achieved quite a lot despite little or no money being available thanks to it being let on a "no growth" basis.

In reality the 'no growth' period was only implemented for the first four years. In the fifth year Northern got additional carriages and there were plans to add a further 40 carriages to the TPE franchise and 120 to the Northern franchise. But then we had a general election in 2010 and a government who extended the Northern and TPE franchises twice without changing the terms to include growth and also a government who decided the 319s Northern were getting could replace 156s so that 156s could replace TPE 170s, instead of being extra capacity like the pre-2010 plan. They then kept saying "Labour let the franchise on no growth terms" to try and divert attention away from their own failings.

Also do you remember Lord Adonis saying the ex-Thameslink trains will be stripped of their interiors and given 2+2 seating, tables and air conditioning? That plan disappeared after the 2010 election as well.